Filipinos’ revolt leaders claim backing of army

Press, 24 February 1986, Page 1

Filipinos’ revolt leaders claim backing of army

NZPA-Reuter Manila Leaders of a military uprising against President Ferdinand Marcos claimed yesterday that they had the support of the vast majority of the 250,000-strong Armed Forces.

Lieutenant-General Fidel Ramos, the Deputy Chief of Staff, who with the Defence Minister, Mr Juan Ponce Enrile, seized control of Defence Ministry headquarters on Saturday night, said 90 per cent of field commanders in the country’s 74 provinces had pledged their support.

General Ramos said over a local radio station that soldiers had been directed to stay at their posts and not to obey illegal orders from other military officers.

General Ramos and Mr Enrile threw their support behind the Opposition leader, Mrs Corazon Aquino, and said their loyalty to Mr Marcos had ended because of fraud in the February 7 presidential elections. Mr Marcos, retreating from charges he made on Saturday, said yesterday that the Enrile-Ramos revolt was not connected to an attempted coup d’etat and assassination plot against him and his wife Imelda.

Referring to them as “the former Defence Minister” and “former ViceChief of Staff,” Mr Marcos told a press conference their actions “were taken separately from other events and the coup

planned by other officers.” "I merely emphasise that the attempt is real and we have witnesses who were captured or made to surrender," he said. “The men were neutralised without any bloodshed.”

Mrs Aquino told a press conference in the central city of Cebu: “I am asking the military all over the country to support Enrile and Ramos. I think we are seeing Filipino people power at its best.”

Mr Marcos said: "The actions taken by Enrile and Ramos took me by surprise. Their names were never mentioned by those taking part in the coup attempt “I presume they must have panicked and taken steps to protect themselves. There was no order for their arrests.”

Looking and sounding extremely tired, Mr Marcos, who is 68, said: “Contrary to some allegations by some people, the Armed Forces of the Philippines are united behind the President. “There are wild claims that - the military is divided into two even factions. It is not true. "I would say that barring the men who are. with Ramos and Enrile, I

don’t believe there are any other officers Included in the list of participants in this rebellion.” Mr Marcos paraded two officers who admitted being part of a plot against his life.

Asked wehether he would arrest Mrs Aquino, who says she was cheated of victory by election fraud and violence, Mr Marcos said: “That has never entered my mind but the Government lawyers have been given complete authority to file charges.”

But he said that if Mrs Aquino set up her own provisional Government, “that would be another form of rebellion.” He said his official inauguration would go ahead as planned at noon tomorrow.

“I certainly will not resign on the say-so of someone else. I feel myself legally proclaimed and will continue to run the Government.”

Asked about the possibility of United States intervention, Mr Marcos said: “This is a purely internal affair, an attempted coup, an attempted assasination ... I hope the United States will let us settle this through the legally provided processes.”

Fifteen retired generals yesterday visited an army camp where-rebels were holed up and’ said they supported General Ramos’s decision to defect

from the Marcos camp. "We are happpy that he has such patriotic action which must be emulated by the whole populace,” the retired military officers’ leader, a former Defence Secretary-Gen-eral, General Jesus Vargas, told reporters. General Vargas said after leading the 15 generals on a visit to General Ramos’s office at Camp Crame in nearby Quezon City, that the two rebel officials were “the rallying point of the country and today we wished them no less than success.”

General Ramos heads the paramilitary constabulary and the Integrated National Police, a combined command which groups an estimated 80,000 of the Armed Forces.

In Washington, a prominent United States congressman and critic of Mr Marcos has said that President Reagan should promptly offer Mr Marcos refuge in the United States to avert a civil war in the Philippines. Mr Stephen Solarz, a New York Democrat who is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Sub-com-mittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, said it would be “very helpful” if Mr Reagan communicated directly with Mr Marcos. Further reports and picture, page 6. Editorial, pagel2